Domínguez Batista said 50 prisoners have attempted suicide during the past five years and that 20 have been killed in fights in prison. He said 10 deaths were caused by guards who attributed them to ailments.

"I can't imagine what has happened in the country over the past 50 years," said Domínguez Batista, who was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment in 2003.

Alfredo Domínguez Batista is an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience. He was arrested during the 2003 Black Spring crackdown on dissent and sentenced to 14 years in jail.